


The Problems of Yesterday

by blank_Ace



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Blood and Injury, M/M, happens during the first encounter with Velkhana, how do I tag my babies, hunter husbands, not a Handler friendly fic, slight Iceborne spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 07:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20831993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blank_Ace/pseuds/blank_Ace
Summary: Tasked to go on an expidition in the Elder's Recess to potentially fight a giant ice dragon, both Hamish and Lloyd, two fifth fleet hunters, are ready for the challenge....that is, if the former hadn't gotten sick, leaving it up to Lloyd to find the beast. Things go downhill from there.





	1. Chapter 1

„Help! Somebody, please help!“

Hamish flinched at the shrill voice cutting through the quiet, comfortable silence of the tent. At first, he thought it had only been the remnants of a fever dream, but another scream coming from outside assured him that that was not the case.

Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his temples, the slowly fading headache still pulsing at the back of his head. His throat was still sore, even swallowing hurt, let alone muttering a single sound. He really wasn’t made for Seliana’s ice cold weather, so it wasn’t a surprise that he’d gotten sick after only a few hunts and investigations. Still, he had insisted to join Lloyd and the Handler on the expedition to the Elder’s Recess, too excited about possibly finding and fighting Velkhana to even consider that he wasn’t in the condition for it. Needless to say, he almost passed out after not even an hour into the investigation. Lloyd had sent him right back to camp, a little more than annoyed, unwilling to put up with his stubborn boyfriend any longer.

He had sent the Handler along to keep an eye on Hamish, saying he wanted to finish this trip alone. That only worsened the older man’s mood. To say that Hamish disliked her was an understatement. He _loathed _her. Everything about her was just.. annoying. Her shrill voice, her idiotic opinions, her constant talking and interrupting and running off and-

Hamish shivered.

How Lloyd put up with her as his Handler was beyond him. Then again, his better half always tended to be a little more forgiving than he was. Too shy, too quiet, too easily pushed around and - the Hunter groaned - too damn cute for his own good. Oh how he loved to brush his fingers through that soft rose hair and-

Another sharp pain in his head halted his daydreaming. God, he should really get some rest. Why was he awake anyway? The sun was still up, Lloyd wanted to be back at dusk. So why-

Another scream for help pierced the silence.

Oh, _right._

Alarmed, Hamish nearly fell out of bed, reaching over to grab his Switch Axe that was currently slumped against the side of the yellow tent. His back and muscles ached as he threw on his coat. He grunted, writing it off on the fever and not his age creeping up on him. He left his scarf on the bed. A little colder weather won’t do him in, he was already sick, what was it gonna do? Kill him?

Yeah actually, that might just happen. It was _freezing._

Hamish sneezed as he tumbled out of the camp, following the cries for help. It didn’t take long for him to figure out who they were coming from, the voice of the Handler was unmistakable after all. He was already preparing for the lecture he would give her, not doubting that she must have run off and gotten herself into trouble again. Maybe he should just leave her, let whatever monster she stumbled across have her for dinner. Lloyd wouldn’t suspect a thing. No way his gentle giant would just leave a poor, defenceless woman to fend for herself, right? But if he’d find out those big, pretty eyes would look so hurt and it would be _his_ fault.

Ugh, Lloyd was starting to really rub off on him. Curse his soft heart!

Sliding down the entrance to the Crystal Cavern – or as Hamish lovingly called it: “Rock smash time, baby!” – the Hunter gasped when he lost his balance and clumsily skidded down the rest of the way. He looked down and frowned. Ice was covering large patches of the rocky ground, it looked perfectly untouched, too. No wonder he almost face planted. Velkhana must have been here not too long ago. He started walking into the opening, careful not to slip. The cries had died down so he had no way of telling where to go, and calling out for the woman would most likely be the end of his throat.

Turning around a few times, he tried to spot her and hoped that Lloyd had already beaten him to it. He was just better at dealing with her.

“Hamish! Over here! Oh my god please! Please help!”

Ah, there she was. Hamish could make out her brown hair and yellow jacket on the other side of the clearing, hidden behind one of the large crystal rocks. Watching his footing, he slowly jogged over to her cowering form, his eyes roaming the area for any large monsters or threats, frowning when he didn’t see anything. Why the hell was she screaming then?

As he looked down, he finally saw it. The unconscious body cradled in her arms, the head on her lap, body curled up and covered by her too small coat. Hamish’s heart dropped when he saw the shattered glaive next to them.

He rushed over and dropped to his knees, crying out at the sight. Lloyd’s soft rose hair was soaked with dark, red blood, dripping down over his forehead, cheeks and neck. There was so much of it, too much. His white suit was stained, his glasses had been broken and thrown to the side. The younger man was deathly pale, his eyes closed as if he was merely sleeping.

Hamish felt himself freeze up, unable to move as he looked down at what could just as well have been a corpse. His Lloyd.

Immediately, the Hunter reached into his bag and pulled out his flare dart. In only a few seconds he raised his slinger above their heads and pulled the trigger, firing the glaring red SOS-signal into the sky. There was no time to waste, yet he desperately hoped that someone at the base would see it before any monsters did.

Looking back down he took Lloyd’s face in his hands, softly wiping a thumb over his bloodied cheek.

“What-“, his voice cracked and he coughed, his body shaking from the cold and the panic. “What happened?”

“Hamish I- I’m so sorry. It happened so fast and-“

“_What happened?”_

She looked at him with big, teary eyes. It made him want to throw up.

“Velkhana was about to leave, I thought Lloyd repelled her, but she just.. she got stronger, her body was covered by ice, it was so cold, the air froze and I- he covered me and- it was-“

He cut her off by holding a hand up, silencing her. Hamish had no patience for her stuttering right now. He shrugged off his coat and rolled it up before slowly working his trembling hands under the younger man’s head, lifting him up from the Handler’s lap. The position she had pulled him into did nothing to stop the bleeding, or stop Lloyd from suffocating should he throw up. So much blood, don’t panic, too much blood too mu-

“Why were you here?”

“W-what?”

“Why were you here?”, he looked up at her after laying Lloyd’s head down onto his rolled up coat, the cold immediately biting into his barely covered skin. He didn’t care.

“I wanted to see her.. I- I’m sorry, I wanted to see it all for myself and I got too close and- I just wanted to know about my grandfather’s shard-“

“You were supposed to stay with me!” his voice was choked, raspy. It did nothing to hide the rising anger.

“I know, I’m sorry. I just had to-“

“You always do this! You run off on your silly little missions, with no regard for our – _Lloyd’s_ – wellbeing. All that matters is what you want! Oh, but as soon as we actually need help, you go and hide at camp!”

Her shoulders slumped, defeated. She looked tired and cold, her body shivering as another gust of wind hit them. He couldn’t care less.

“I never meant for this to happen...”

He didn’t respond, ignoring her as he reached under his armour and started ripping a strip of his shirt off. It wasn’t the bandage Lloyd needed, but it sure as hell was better than leaving the wound open like this. Ever so slowly, he lifted his lover’s head again and wrapped the cloth around, the dark material immediately soaking itself with the dark crimson liquid. This wasn’t good.

“Go to camp, get the medical set, someone should be here soon to help, lead them here when they drop in.” he muttered, too focused on not hurting the other Hunter even more. He saw her shake her head out of the corner of his eye.

“No! I want to stay with him, I can’t leave him alone.”

“He’s not alone, he’s with me. Go get the fucking kit!” he snarled, turning towards her. Ice blue eyes boring into her own, darker ones.

“W-what if something happens?”

Hamish scoffed, “And since when do you help when something ever happens?”

The Handler puffed her chest out at this, obviously flustered. “I help! You know that I help on missions and that I am a valued member of the community! I am the best Handler the new world has seen so far and I will _not_ leave my partner alone!” she huffed, her cheeks reddened from anger. 

Normally Hamish would have been somewhat impressed at her outburst, but right now it only made him want to twist her neck until it snapped.

Careful not to put too much pressure on Lloyd’s body, he let his hands roam along under the suit. So far, he couldn’t feel anything out of place. Legs intact, arms intact, a few ribs might be broken but he wouldn’t push any harder than necessary. The ice must have hit him hard. Hamish closed his eyes, chasing away the thought of what might have happened if the glaive wouldn’t have taken most of the damage. He shook his head, what mattered was that Lloyd was alive and able to breathe. After he was done, he draped the Handlers coat over his still body again, desperately trying to keep him warm. He had to focus. Focus, focus- another huff from the woman to his right made him snap.

Rising to his feet, he grabbed her elbow and pushed her away from the young man. She wanted to argue? Fine.

“The_ best_ Handler? You almost got him killed because of your selfishness! He’s hurt because of your fucking mission!” his voice rose in volume, his throat screaming at him to stop talking. “All you ever do is get in the way, and now it almost got Lloyd killed!”

“It wasn’t my fault!”

“Bullshit!”, he towered over her, his words sounding more like animalistic growls than anything else.

“Please, Hamish.. I- I can’t leave him, please, I want to stay with him, I- .. I..” she stuttered, looking down onto the ground, tears falling from her eyes and staining her cheeks. “I’m sorry he got hurt, please let me stay by his side. He means so much to me, I can’t go on without him, I-“ Hamish’s eyes widened, realizing what she was trying to say.

“You’re in love with him.” he stated. She said nothing, more tears falling to the ground. Silence draped over them like a veil, hanging heavy over their exhausted forms. It was so quiet until-

Hamish laughed. A cruel, mocking and terribly amused thing, cutting through the silence so abruptly she flinched.

“You- you think that-“, his laughter turned into coughing fits, the grin never fell from his face, “You really think he could ever love you?” he heaved, his body shaking from the fever, the panic and the seething rage coursing through his veins.

She looked at him, shocked, unable to comprehend what he had just said.

“After everything you’ve done”, he took a step towards her, “After putting him in danger,” another step, she moved back, “After risking _his _life for your own personal interests, after everything he’s done for you!”

“Stop it, you’re scaring me!” she pleaded, her back hitting a crystal. A scream tore itself from her throat as Hamish’s hand slammed against the cold rock, so close to her face that she felt the rush of air on her cheek.

“You’ve got some fucking nerve, don’t you?” he growled, grey strands of hair falling into his eyes. How dare she, _how fucking dare she_. She was cowering now, pathetic.

“Consider this a warning, hm? If you don’t resign from being Lloyd’s Handler, if you put him in danger again and if I find out that you’ve been trying to get close to him, I will break every single fucking bone in your body and leave you out here for the monsters to tear apart, am I fucking clear?” Malice dripped from his tongue with every word.

She stuttered, eyes wide with fear as she stared up at murderous ones. Finally, she nodded, more tears threatening to spill as she choked back her sobs.

Suddenly there were calls from the distance. Hamish recognized the voices as those of their fellow hunters. They’d seen the flare, they were looking for them. Help was on its way.

Hamish found himself releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding and closed his eyes. It was going to be ok. Lloyd would survive

When he opened his eyes again, the Handler was looking up at him, too scared to move. He felt nothing for her anymore, all he wanted was for her to disappear, to leave and never step in front of him again. She had failed to protect his one reason to keep moving, and for that he would never forgive her.

Leaning down, he whispered into her ear, barely loud enough for her to understand.

“Run.”

Her eyes widened and her breath hitched, stuck in her throat. She looked down at the injured Hunter, hesitant for just a moment before rushing out of the tight space and towards the voices, sobbing as they called out to them.

Turning, Hamish knelt down and gathered Lloyd into his arms, leaning his bloody head against his chest, pulling his body as close to him as he could. Slowly, he lifted his sleeping love from the ground, careful not to hurt him. Lloyd was strong, never cracked under pressure, but right now he felt so small in his arms, so frail. His heart broke at the sight as he started walking towards the oncoming help, willing himself not to collapse.

He’d take care of Lloyd, he’d be there for him. Lloyd was his. And nothing would take him away from him, he’d make sure of that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now featuring my own fanart 'cus I'm my own content provider.
> 
> Big thanks to Khoshek who has written this first chapter! I love you, dude.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Lloyd was aware of was **_pain._** Consciousness came slowly, like drifting through molasses. His head was killing him, limbs wouldn’t respond and every breath was agony. His throat felt dry but trying to clear it took too much energy to even attempt it. That and his ribs felt like they were trying to stab him from the inside. At least he was lying on something that could in broad terms be described as somewhat comfortable. Muffled voices drifted in and out, waves of white noise that washed over him, almost lulling him back to sleep. 

  
What had happened? He had been… on an expedition? Yes, that sounded right but he hadn’t been alone. He was never alone on hunts. His first thought was of his loyal pelico, Celosia. She’d always accompany him on jobs, all two and a half feet of her filled to the brim with courage and fighting expertise. They had met in Gildegaran, the city of hunters. He had wanted to become a researcher, maybe even a tracker, not ready to fight anything yet and definitely not ready to stay being a rider after his pink rathian had died. She on the other hand always wanted to become a hunter and was searching for a partner. After being accepted into the same guild academy, they were partnered up for training hunts more often than not, his analytic fighting style working well with her all out attacks.

Thinking back on it now, Celosia could have chosen anyone to be her partner. She had passed her final exams with flying colors after all. Why she stuck around Lloyd would never fully understand, but he was grateful for her nonetheless. She had hated it in Seliana when they first arrived. “My fur feels wet and cold from just looking at all this snow,'' she'd complained on the airship, “we could’ve spent the summer in Astera, but no. You _ had _ to find those Legiana tracks in the ancient forest.” Her flat voice was betrayed by the fond smile she could barely contain. 

Hadn’t he given her a weekend off? He had wanted to treat her after having her fight in knee deep snow, getting her drenched, cold and cranky on almost every hunt. Though she hadn’t been the biggest fan of the hot springs, she was immediately infatuated by the sauna the new gathering hub offered. 

Not her then. But who…? The - the Handler, it must have been her. Meeting her on the Astera bound ship kickstarted a partnership two years ago. She’d work through the dreaded paperwork while Lloyd and Celosia would go on hunts, expeditions and investigations, bringing back samples, occasionally hunting monsters or finding suitable spots for new camps. The Handler, Emilia, would usually come along and stay at the camp, ready to support them in between jobs with food. It was a productive rhythm they had fallen into.  
Somehow, thinking of her made his headache worse.

He must have made an involuntary noise causing the waves of silent voices to drift closer, grow in intensity and crash all around him. Hands were on him, his chest, his face, flitting about and prodding.

_ It was too much, everything was too much. _

After what felt like an eternity of searing white hot pain the thunderous waves and hands ceased, being replaced by a rattling wheeze that filled his mind. Sleep slowly pulled him back under soon after, gently easing his breathing and throbbing head until he felt nothing at all, granting him a dreamless rest.

-

Next to Lloyd Hamish sat down again. He had held the younger hunter softly, afraid he might break in his arms. Laying there, face ashen and breathing unsteady, he almost looked like he was dying.

_ He’ll be fine. He’s in good hands, calm down. _

He hadn’t slept much since yesterday, after what happened. Nothing like a loved one almost dying to keep you awake. On the bright side, his fever finally broke. Yeah, Lloyd would never hear about that little detail. Being stubborn enough to go on a hunt that could potentially involve having to kill an elder dragon while being sick was one thing, but trying to fight an ice menace that had been tormenting Seliana for weeks while developing a fever? He’d never hear the end of it. 

It must have been a cruel turn of fate for his mistake to cause Lloyd to end up in a sick bed and not the other way around. If he hadn’t been sick, if he hadn’t gone back to the camp he could have helped, could have done _ something _to try and stop Lloyd from being crushed by a big chunk of ice. He sniffled. Gods, he was probably getting Lloyd sick by sitting so close to him. He shuffled back a bit at that thought. There was no reason to add illness to injury. Both laughing and crying sounded like viable reactions right now - Hamish was almost tired enough to try both at once - instead, he settled for wearily rubbing his eyes and slumping down in his chair with a long, raspy sigh.

The longer he looked at the younger hunter, the clearer he could see him lying on the floor of a crystalline cave, still and curled up, blood slowly forming a puddle beneath his head and turning his soft pink hair a muddy red-

_ Deep breaths, Hamish. You’re no good to anyone, having a panic attack right now. _

The first attempt at a deep breath brought a coughing fit with it, of course it did, not like this day couldn’t get any worse.

“Hamish, are you in there?” Well, he stood corrected. Fuck his life. 

He grumbled to himself, crossing his arms over his chest and trying his best impression of someone who was sleeping. Dealing with _ her _ would probably be the last straw, the last little nudge he’d need to finally snap. 

A warm gust of sulfuric air told him that the front flap of the tent had been opened. A moment passed. Then another. Trying to breathe deeply without aggravating his throat and starting another coughing fit was hard enough, but she just stood there. Not moving. She was probably staring. Gods, he hated her. A hitched breath. Was she crying again? By the sapphire star, just how much water could that woman shed without dying of dehydration? He didn’t plan on finding out, shifting a bit in his chair as if to wake from his slumber. She got the hint this time, _ thank the gods _, and slowly shuffled out of the tent. She was probably still afraid of him, after he had screamed at her earlier. Good.

He could hear her talk to the medicats outside again. They had arrived along with the ace hunter Lloyd had befriended not shortly after he had fired the sos flare and hadn’t wasted time, bringing the unconscious hunter back to the camp. The pelicos on duty had said something about a concussion and how Lloyd falling asleep right after being hit on the head wasn’t a good thing, about possible memory and blood loss. At that point, he himself was close to keeling over, fever, worry and fading adrenalin brewing a deadly cocktail inside him, yet he wouldn’t, _ couldn’t _ leave his boyfriends side. He wanted to be there when he woke up, help him with everything he might need and reassure him, that he was going to be okay. That had been about five hours ago. 

Another weary sigh escaped him. He pulled the blanket the ace hunter (Roy? Ray?) had given him closer and blinked slowly. Having to watch his boyfriend writhe in pain had stolen every last bit of energy and crushed his hope of Lloyd waking up any time soon. 

“Shouldn’t we bring him back to Seliana?” Someone end him, just hearing her talk made him furious.

“We have everything needed to treat him right here and moving him with a head injury like that is less than ideal. With meowster Rory here, this camp is safe enough to stay fur a few more hours.” 

Ah, so his name was Rory. Hamish committed the name to memory. Anyone willing to stay hours on end to help Lloyd was alright in his book.

“We’ll wait till he wakes up. That way, we can assess just how bad his injury really is.”

“Yeah but-”

“I know you are worried about your partner,” something ugly settled in Hamish chest at that, “but this is the best course of action.”

“Y-yeah, you are probably right. I guess I’ll try to catch some sleep in the meantime.” He hoped she’d choke on her own spit in her sleep.

He didn’t notice the front flap open again, only when a medicat in glasses was checking on Lloyds breathing did he become aware of their presence.

“You look awful, meowster Hamish. You should try and sleep some, too.” He owlishly blinked at them.

“Yeah,” came the raspy reply, “in a few minutes.”

The pelico only shook their head, turning to face him completely now, as if to check on him too but not getting too close. Sheesh, that was one stern looking cat. Attempting to avoid eye contact, he tried to get his tongue to work.

“He’ll be fine, right?” Great topic for small talk, sapphire star. _ But he needed to know. _

The medicats eyes softened at that.

“Thanks to your quick actions, yes. He’ll have to take it easy for the next couple of days though.”

Relief swept over him, almost making him feel light headed. He only managed a small nod. The pelico chuckled.

“Get some rest, hunter. We’ll leave for Seliana at dawn should he not wake until then.”

With that they left the tent. The newfound silence was almost deafening. Hamish stole one last look at Lloyd. In the dimmed light of the oil lamp hanging above them, he almost looked like an angel. Ethereal, glowing and beautiful. His eyes burned, with emotions or exhaustion Hamish didn’t know. 

He’d only close them for a few minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

He was flying through the air, vaulting over another ice wall that had appeared in front of him to strike at Velkhanas wings again. He dropped low, avoided a tail swipe and swung his glaive, this time aiming for her front claws. His blade hit it’s mark, toppling the beast for a few precious moments that offered him an opening to try and break her tail. She was too quick, too agile on her feet to attack it but on the ground it made for an easy target. Repositioning himself, he swung his weapon with everything he had in a wide arc, cracking the ice like scales before the elder dragon could recover from it’s fall with a satisfying crunch. He didn’t notice her shifting her weight in time however, and was flung backwards by a claw, rolling into a crouch a good distance away from her. He couldn’t suppress the smile that stretched over his face.

Adrenalin was singing in his veins. He felt_ alive. _Every attack, every dodge could be his last, yet the way the monster telegraphed her attacks was like an open book to him. How she’d flare her wings when she’d create more ice walls, how she shifted her weight to her hind legs when trying to strike him with her tail, all of it were signs he could see clearly. She’d lower her head and he would prepare to vault himself, only narrowly avoiding being hit by her breath attack, both of them being locked into their deadly dance of action and reaction. He had missed this, had tried to chase this feeling, until Azalea had died. He had been sure he would never want to feel it ever again after that.

The elder dragon found his eyes, not moving for a moment that felt suspended in time. A challenge maybe, a dare to take the next step. He tightened his grip on his glaive, taking a deep breath of chilly air. Velkhana shifted her weight again, broadening her stance. Okay, that was new. A shrill shriek shook the walls of the cavern, the temperature dropped making every breath visible, ice and crystals becoming indistinguishable in the dying light of the cave. Lloyd licked his lips. If the beast was done testing the waters, so be it. 

He got ready to shoot a mark at her to allow his kinsect to get some easy hits in while she was building up energy, and hesitated. Ice seemed to grow on her like a protective sheen. Her wings, her head, even her claws became longer and sharper. The battleground slowly transformed into a glistening slip and slide, reminding him of the Wintertide Tunnel back home. Less running and more flying would probably do the trick until he could get her to attack him, hopefully breaking the ground up a bit. 

Another noise halted him yet again in his action. Was that… a voice? Calling for him? Wait, he knew that voice-

“Partner, we have to get out of here!” 

“Emilia?!” She was running toward him, arms flailing. What by the sapphire star was she doing here? She was supposed to look after Hamish.

_ Hamish. _

_ Oh gods, what if something had happened to Hamish. _

The handler crashed into him with a soft ‘oof’, almost knocking them both over, skidding on ice and rock. He helped her find her balance again, sheathing his weapon. Before she could say anything else however, Velkhana reared up again. 

_ She’s getting ready for another breath attack. Flying is not an option with Emilia here. We have to run. _

Using the grip on her arms he had from steadying her after barreling into him, he got them moving. He could hear the pressurized stream of snowy air behind them creeping closer and closer. Their escape was cut short by Emilia slipping on the ice and sending them both tumbling to the floor, rolling a few extra seconds due to the momentum, the deadly beam passing overhead. A strange crackling sound from above them got the hunters attention. Somehow, the ice in the air was forming into large chunks, dropping around them like hail. A quick glance to the side let his blood run cold. One chunk was forming directly above Emilia, who was still a bit out of it after the crash landing they had endured.

_ She’s not going to get out of the way in time! _

His heartbeat was thundering in his ears. He had to get to her. He had to save her. He moved to stand, but everything was suddenly too bright, too loud. She had been right in front of him, _ where was she? _Another piercing shriek filled the air, bouncing off of the cavern walls and inside his head, disorienting him. Why couldn’t he see?! His breathing came in short ragged huffs, this was no time to panic damn it!

Suddenly, pain exploded in his head and crushing his chest. The white turned red and then black. After that, nothing.

-

He woke with a pained gasp. He had to get to Emilia, had to get them out, _ had to get to Hamish _ . His ears were rigging. Was Velkhana still shrieking? Everything was too dark, a stark contrast from just moments before. Stars were dancing in his field of vision. His lungs were burning. Was be breathing? He should probably try to breathe, but it _ hurt. _

Hands found his face, a muffled voice drifting through the ringing in his head. It gave him something to focus on, an anchor in an ocean of noise.

“...eathe, slowly, in and out, that’s it! Just like that, in and out. You’re okay, everything will be okay. Just breathe.”

It took a few long minutes to wrestle his wheezing breaths into a slower rhythm and to clear his head of the ringing. He had closed his eyes again, reveling in the feeling of being warm. There was a blanket covering him and one shaking hand still on his cheek. He slowly cracked his eyes open. Light red met icy blue, washing away the anxiety that had built up in his chest. _ He was home. _

“Hey,” gods, he sounded bad, voice cracking almost impossibly over the syllable. It did get Hamish to smile though. Worth it.

“Hey yourself.” His voice was wobbly and raw, yet so incredibly warm and soft, “welcome back to the land of the living.” He winced, mumbling ‘too soon’ to himself. What a dork. “How are you feeling?”

“Head hurts,” he croaked, “ and breathing.”

“Okay, maybe you shouldn’t talk yet. You sound awful.” The grin on Hamish was shaky at best. Lloyd wanted to wave him off with a roll of his eyes and tell him that he sounded just as bad, but his lungs were protesting quite badly. He’d have to be a bit more conservative with his words. Taking one more rattling breath, he prepared himself for the inevitable pain that would surely follow and got exactly one word in before being shushed by his boyfriend.

“What…?”

“Babe, what did I just say? No talking. My heart is going to shatter if I have to hear your voice break one more time, I swear-” Lloyd chose to glare at him instead. “Okay don’t look at me like that. That’s just unfair.”

Gods, he was adorable.

“You were hurt pretty badly when I found you. Do you remember fighting Velkhana?” A nod. “Oh thank fuck, okay uhm. The Handler-” 

The way Hamish spit the name out as if it were poison went unnoticed. 

_ Emilia. _

His breath hitched and his eyes grew wide.

“Hey, no need for that! She’s fine! Unharmed. Totally alive,” the older hunter tried to reassure him, voice soft. “Try to breathe with me. In and out. There you go. You are doing wonderful.”

_ She was safe. Hamish was safe. Thank the silver star. _

Lloyd closed his eyes again, focusing on his boyfriends voice and his breathing. They were okay.

“Don’t fall asleep just yet. I need you to talk to the medicats first, okay?” 

After that, everything blurred together. 

The next thing he knew, he was in his own bed in Seliana, staring at the ceiling. He blinked slowly. His headache was almost gone, reduced to a dull throb. Breathing still hurt, but the pain had lessened considerably. Judging by the position of the sun, it was barely noon. Just how much time had passed since he had woken up at camp? He let his eyes drift over the room. Hamish was curled up beside him, sleeping on top of the covers like a sociopath. He looked so incredibly tired. With a soft huff, Lloyd placed a small kiss to his forehead. He had probably been sick with worry, and simply sick with illness too. It was probably better to let him sleep. 

That’s when his gaze fell on his glaive next to his bed, or better, the remnants of it. The blade had shattered completely, while the staff had fractured along the middle. That could’ve been him. A shudder ran through him, only alleviating the anxiety somewhat after finding his kinsect snoozing in front of the fireplace, enjoying the warmth of the flames.

Hamish, who had perhaps noticed his distress, unconsciously snuggled in closer to Lloyd, snoring softly. He buried his nose in the soft, gray hair inhaling deeply. Mapel, cedar and something close to cinnamon filled his nostrils. Everything around him was soft and warm.

Curled up next to his lover, the problems of yesterday could wait till tomorrow.


End file.
